


I have to thank him for receiving you

by Kira7



Series: Father & Mother [2]
Category: Bright Young Things, Vile Bodies - Evelyn Waugh
Genre: Face Punching, First Kiss, Kinda, Kiss cheek, Living Together, M/M, Non-Consensual Kissing, Not Beta Read, Past Relationship(s), Period-Typical Homophobia, Post-Canon, Post-World War II, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24038104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira7/pseuds/Kira7
Summary: "The height of your maturity and sagacity depends on your ability to see the beauty in ugly situations."(Michael B. Johnson)"Behind this angel face hides a demon."An old acquaintance of Miles comes to Paris, he hasn't changed, has always remained the usual demon with the face of an angel, but Miles doesn't know that a Captain will take up his defense, healing a wound that had never healed."Behind the demonic face of this man hides an angel."And it's also thanks to Tiger if Miles had the chance to meet Ginger again.
Relationships: Ginger Littlejohn/Miles Maitland, Miles Maitland/Tiger LaBouchere
Series: Father & Mother [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681372
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	I have to thank him for receiving you

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the parts of this ff in different days, only to unite them at the end. I tried to cancel the repetitions, but if something escaped me I apologize.
> 
> Expect some things like Bonjour, Bonsoir, excuse moi etc etc, I don't know french, and I'm afraid to use a translator because I can't correct words, thanks to my lack of knowledge, so I chose to write them in English with the cursive tag. Hope you can forgive me.

In that party, Ginger had insisted on accompanying Miles, the nightmare he had a few months earlier still tormented him, so much so that when he could, the Captain accompanied Miles in these parties, only to be sure that nothing dangerous happened to his friend. On the other hand, Miles wasn't sorry about it, he liked preening with others and introducing them the brave and kind Captain Littlejohn; he didn't instigate Eddie to come and dance, it was evident that dance wasn't one of the Captain's favorite activities, so the Maitland's second born just gave him a few glances from time to time while dancing with other people, pleasantly noting how Ginger tried to juggle with the French and make himself understood from the people around him.

So the first few hours passed, then Miles sat down a sofa, waiting for Ginger to join him, instead his friend didn't show up, he wasn't even closer to the table where punch and other drinks were placed, where was him?

" _Have you seen them_?," not far from Miles, a woman said in French to her friend.

" _Bad faces_ ," replied her friend.

" _They said the man with the mustache started, for no reason_."

" _Punch a man like that, rude beast... Poor angel, what he did_?"

" _Indeed, such a horrible man, who brought him here_?"  
Miles frowned: a man, with a mustache, Ginger wasn't there, wasn't he by chance the rude man who had started punching a stranger?  
The man got up and went out, still holding the glass he was drinking, and found Ginger was sitting on the sidewalk, looking at the street and wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"Of all the people I imagined they could start a fight," he began to speak smiling, drawing the attention of the other who turned to look at him, "You were the last on the list... Although, well, a Captain like you had certainly done some physical activity," and giggled, infecting Ginger who replied with a smile as he bowed his head.

"I got carried away," Ginger answered, looking back at him.

Miles raised his eyebrows, noting the pitiful state of his face, "I see it," he asserted.

"How about--" he knelt to put the glass down on the floor and then reached Ginger, "To go home? So I heal your split lip."

"What about the party?"

"Oh, that--" Miles made an amused grimace, waving a hand as if the matter mattered little to him. "It's just boring to be in there, they don't have the right panache to organize a party. And as soon as I asked to liven up the evening a little, they didn't understand what I meant."

Ginger smiled, starting to get up, "At home, then."

* * *

"I'm going to get the first aid kit. Sit on the couch."

Ginger rolled his eyes, starting to take off his overcoat, "I already told you in the taxi, it's just a few scratches, I've had worse things than--" he hissed in pain while he took off the second sleeve, his ribs ached terribly, but the man hoped Miles didn't hear him.

His roommate returned with a few cotton balls and a bottle of Scotch, "And I already told you that you have to listen Mother," he replied sitting on the sofa. "Come on, come sit down, you old rascal."  
Very reluctantly, Ginger sat down next to Miles, who poured some Scotch on the cotton and placed it on Ginger's lip.

"Ouch!"

As a result, Miles ducked away, but then went back to support the wad, "Come on, don't be a child."

"I'm not, I mean, ouch!"  
Just a little, Miles enjoyed taking care of Ginger, he came a little closer to be comfortable, noting that the Captain's right eye was also bruised.

"Hold this on your lip, I'm going to wet a cloth with water."

"All right."  
As soon as Miles left, Ginger exhaled a sigh, exhausted, thinking about what had happened minutes ago. How could it be he spoke like that of Miles, saying that he had been bothered by Miles' letters; Ginger had lost his temper and reacted, knowing what that bastard had done to Miles had infuriated him. Miles returned and with all the delicacy he possessed he placed the wet cloth on Ginger's eye; the Captain could not hold back a line of satisfaction as he closed his eyes.

"Is it better?," he asked with a whisper.  
Eddie simply nodded, which made the other man smile.

"Will you tell me why you started punching a perfect stranger?"

Ginger reopened his eye, but didn't look at his friend, "That man had-- He simply said that my French wasn't good."

Miles looked at him strangely, then started laughing, leaning on Ginger's shoulder, "Let me get this straight," he raised his head slightly, still laughing.

"Did you start punching a man because he told you that your French is not good?"

Ginger blushed, regretting having made up a senseless lie, "Yes!"

This made Miles laugh even more, "Ginger, dear, your French _is_ terrible! Would you like to punch me too?," he gave an obvious look.

"Of course not, Miles!"

"Well, then you should apologize to that man, otherwise he will think that English men, in addition to speaking French badly, are also very boring party mates."

Miles didn't want to offend Ginger, just tease him a little, however the Captain got to his feet, throwing the cotton on the ground. "I don't even think about it, damn it!"

And his reaction took Miles off guard, "Why not?"  
Ginger had no intention of telling him the truth, but certainly making an apology to a man like the one he had met was the last thing he wanted to do.

"I'm not going to apologize to a rude, heartless, prideless man who offends friends."

And that turned on an alarm bell in Miles' mind, "Did you know this man?"

"Yes, I mean no! No, never met him, I don't know who he is! I--" Ginger moved his hair from the forehead, taking a breath. "I'm going to sleep. Good night."

"Goodnight," Miles replied, watching him went to the bedroom, there was something wrong with that story told by Ginger, he was mostly a quiet man, even if he had an inclement temperament, but he didn't punched with the first stranger he met. Ginger didn't say something to him, he's more than sure, but what was it?

* * *

A male laugh caught Miles' attention in that restaurant, and his heart stopped, "Tiger," he whispered, searching for that boy.

" _Did you say something_?," a friend of his asked in French.

Miles looked back at his table mates, especially his friend, " _Nothing, my dear, I have seen an old acquaintance of mine from London_."

" _What are you waiting for, aren't you going to say him hello_?"

" _Yes, of course_ ," a man stepped in, slowly drinking. " _You said you missed London, at least this friend of yours can get you back to the good old days_."

Miles turned for a second to peek if Tiger was still there, then went back to his friends, stretching a smile that he didn't feel true, " _I'm afraid it won't be pleasant for him to see me again_."

" _The fearless Miles who is afraid of not being welcome!_ "

Everyone laughed, even Miles, who was preparing to respond properly to such an affront, but he was anticipated by the woman, she took a breath from her cigarette before speaking, " _I would rather say the lover Miles who doesn't want to return back in the past, when he has a Captain by his side_."

Miles tried to drink his tea calmly, then put down the cup, " _The charm of uniformed men is overrated_."  
Everyone laughed, and Miles took another look at Tiger, who was getting up to leave, and that was enough for him to get up from the table and follow him, forgetting about his friends.

His heart was beating fast, like a racing car, like the one Tiger used to drive, number 13. He knew perfectly well what Tiger had caused him, as well as he remembered all the tears he shed because of him, yet his curiosity to see him once again, to know if he still had that lovable angel face, guided him through the streets of Paris, to scream his name once again.

"Tiger," he called, and the boy, now a man, stopped to turn around, showing a face with bruises, and a plaster at the base of his nose, what had happened to him?

"What do you want?," Tiger asked, not so happy so see him, but surprisingly he was not surprised to see him.

"To welcome you here in Paris," he replied, remaining detached.

"I already was welcomed, from your friend!"  
Friend? Which friend? Nobody here knew about his and Tiger's previous friendship.

"What're you talking about?"

Tiger was going to walk away, he didn't want to talk more with Miles, "Ask your friend with mustache, he's a beast, just look what he did!," he shouted pointing at his face.  
Then, before he could receive an answer, Tiger went away, leaving Miles alone, with his cheeks flushed, his heart pounding, but for another reason, he had to speak to Ginger as soon as possible.

* * *

"I'm home," Miles beamed, tossing his blue velvet berrett, "Ginger? Are you here?"

"Bedroom."

"Did I catch you in an indelicate moment? You don't even introduce me to the person you decide to be together, of course you're a worthless, you!"

"I'm getting dressed!," he replied in an awkward tone in his voice.

"Well, it usually happens after you have a jolly moment in bed with another person."

"For God's sake, Miles," Ginger exhaled desperately, opening the door and gesturing for him to enter, "Come and look here if you don't believe me."

Miles looked at him with malice, "Is it an invitation to do anything else? I don't like lying on a bed previously used by someone else."

Ginger glanced at him, and Miles chuckled, "All right, I believe you," he crossed his arms and studied the bruises on Ginger's face, "Are they still hurting?"  
Ginger put a hand on his split lip, it still bothered him, but it didn't hurt anymore, it was nothing; Miles caught him unprepared to propose to him affectionately to sit on the sofa and to offer him an extra dose of care, and Ginger shrugged.

"I don't-- I don't think it's necessary."

"Don't be silly, dear, you deeply need it. The sooner those wounds heal, the sooner you will be the usual Ginger I know."  
Once again reluctant, Ginger followed him to the couch, watching absorbedly how Miles took care of him, Nina would never have done it.  
Miles, while gently placing the cotton on the other man's lip, thought of a way to talk about his meeting that morning, but he could feel Ginger's intense gaze, it put him almost in awe, almost without the strength to be able to raise his eyes and return the gesture with the same intensity.

"I saw Tiger this morning," he began to talk, noting how Ginger's shoulders and jaw became tense.

"I didn't think he would ever come here to Paris, he said he didn't like it, it's too frivolous."  
Ginger remained silent, involuntarily clenching his fists.

Miles smiled, lowering his head, then resumed healing his lip, involuntarily licking his mouth. "He told me he didn't get a nice welcome," he snorted amusedly and Ginger couldn't suppress a gloating smile.

"Why did you do that?"

"He saw you, I mean, it was hard not to notice you, and he started talking about what had happened, about your letters, and how you deserved to be arrested."

Miles nodded, swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat, "You didn't have to do it."

"I felt it was necessary."

Miles felt tears form in his eyes, nobody dared to take up his defense, nobody dared to punch Tiger for how he had behaved, "Thank you."  
In response, Ginger nodded, there was no need to thank him.  
Both remembered how Miles had told about his and Tiger's story, the tears he had shed despite years having passed, there had been a world war, human's lives were completely devastated, yet that wound had continued to bleed for a long time, until that morning, when he found out that it was magically healed and no longer hurt.

"You know, until recently I would have said it was his fault if I am in this situation. Then something changed."

Ginger's heart skipped a beat and walked over to Miles and whispered, "What changed?"  
Miles lowered the cotton, and for the first time since they started talking he looked up to mirror himself in Ginger's brown eyes; _The lover Miles_ , as his friends had called him, they were right, since the Captain had protected him unbeknownst to Tiger, since Eddie hadn't run away that night and had apologized for having offended him, perhaps always, since when he met Ginger that evening during that party. He should've said that he thanked Tiger for showing those letters to the police, for forcing him to hide in Paris, because without him, Miles probably wouldn't have been in a situation like this, together with Ginger...

He should've said it, but Miles simply rested his lips on Ginger's.  
At first, Ginger didn't react, he remained still, then put his hands on Miles' chest to push him away, looking at him frightened, and for a moment Miles was again afraid of having to start running again, to hide somewhere else.

"Sorry," Ginger was only able to say, before getting up and locking himself in the room, leaving Miles alone.

* * *

It was night, Ginger hadn't left the bedroom, and Miles had locked himself in his room too, waiting for the news, the following day, that he would have to run away again. He didn't want to repeat that experience, it had been horrible, why had he kissed Ginger? He had been a fool, again, to have kissed a normal man, who had run away to avoid arrest, had left his wife and alleged son receiving money in exchange, could Ginger have been able to report him? Some time ago he had called him a pansy, how long did it take before a complaint could arrive?  
Someone, even if only two of them lived in that apartment, knocked on his door; Miles stood there thinking about whether to open it or not, what was Ginger going to tell him? Was it a mistake to kiss him? Was he still in love with Nina? That he should never again allow to touch his lips in a chaste kiss otherwise Ginger would have brought him back to the police? Would he be gone forever?

"Miles?," he heard on the other side of the door, followed by another knock.  
The second-born Maitland reluctantly decided to go open, wearing an expression of brazen pride, ready to face Ginger's possible anger; the door opened and Ginger's eyes looked like a storm, too many emotions to be contained in just a pair of eyes.

"Well?," he asked haughtily, crossing his arms.

"Listen, Miles, I-- I know my behavior could be misunderstood, I don't think you are a bad boy, in fact your company is quite jolly good. What I mean is that I'm not like your friend who denounces your letters to the police, you can rest assured about this, I once made the mistake of offending you, and I have no intention of doing it again, I'm not like your Tiger."

He paused for a second to catch his breath, replacing his forefinger that he had pointed out when he established he was different from that man.

"Anyway... I want you to be sure I won't be able to do such a thing, damn it, I punched him in the face, and I didn't know whether to be more satisfied with punching him because that's not how he behaved with a friend or for claiming your honor--" he put a hand in his hair, smiling, it was still beautiful in his memory.  
Miles expected everything but a similar reaction to a tiny kiss, Ginger's chatter was destabilizing him, it was against his behavioral patterns, and Miles considered himself one who always avoided the patterns.

"Did you come here to brag about your exploits against Tiger?," he asked and wiggled, unconsciously biting his lower lip: Ginger's mouth was talking so much, it seemed to want an excuse to be kissed again.

"Oh, right, well... The reason I knocked on you, in the middle of the night, wearing a pajamas, is to assure you I won't do anything of what that hag's son did, and--"

"And we've made that clear," he added while he was nodding, not knowing how pleasant was Ginger's way of doing.

"Yes, right. But," Ginger stopped and looked at him, straight in the eyes, serious in the face and with a shadow of apology in his eyes, "I ask you not to share certain gestures of affection with me."  
Miles lowered his eyes, he had to imagine it, it had gone well surprisingly, Ginger had promised not to report him. The Captain noticed the other man's expression and prepared to add something that his mind hadn't elaborated yet in any way, but perhaps it was already clear for his heart.

"I'm not saying anything against you, what I want to say is-- damn it! I'm not good, not like Tiger, just not good, maybe worse, I mean, with Nina it has never been such a relationship based on contact, you know pretty well the reason why, that is, I accept your gesture as a thank you for what I did to your friend, but it has to end here, you know what I mean, you would just be disappointed, we both remember what happened," he widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows in a silent request for confirmation, which Miles gave him, hoping that Ginger's speech didn't end, so Miles could have a chance to make him stop.

But Eddie had other plans, "Well, yes, all right, it's fine, goodnight, and sorry for waking you up."  
He started to turn around, but he thought better of it and turned back to Miles to add something, but his eyes fixed on those parted lips, so soft, so delicate, nothing to think about, then he looked back at the wall and whispered, "Night."  
Then he headed to his bedroom, leaving Miles alone another time.

Did Ginger really tell him that there was no need to kiss because Eddie didn't consider himself worthy, and not because they were both men, or was Miles' imagination that played a bad joke on him?  
The black-haired man closed the door softly with a smile he struggled to hold back, and only when he released the doorknob Miles began to laugh with shiny eyes, sniffling, finding the situation hilarious. _Oh dear_ , he thought, looking at the ceiling, Ginger hadn't told him that what he had done was wrong, he had only said that it wasn't the case. He hadn't refused it, he had worried that he might be hurt by some of Ginger's attitudes... Did he consider himself worse than Tiger?

Tiger had always said that he loved danger, that everything Miles did (except talking about Tiger's attitudes) was all right, that he didn't care about the consequences, yet he was afraid of the possible consequences of being labeled as queer, and he gave it to Miles all the blame, without caring if he was hurt. " _Behind this angel face hides a demon_ ," he had said during a car race; he hadn't been wrong, even if at that time the phrase had a completely different meaning.

" _He's a beast_ ," Tiger had said referring to Ginger, and he couldn't blame him, sometimes the Captain could frighten people with his severe military attitudes.  
On the other hand, Eddie was afraid of the consequences, he preferred a road already traveled rather than an unknown one, he found some attitudes of Miles too showy, yet Ginger hadn't thought too much about leaving the house at night looking for him in the hope of seeing him safe and sound, in an attempt to apologize to him, just as he hadn't thought about the consequences of punching Tiger just to defend his queer friend... On what occasion had Ginger proved he was worse than Tiger?

* * *

"A very joyful morning, darling!"  
Ginger looked up from the newspaper, observing the figure of Miles dressed up with a splendid smile to bright his face.

"Good morning to you too," Ginger answered, absorbing that good mood, "Did you sleep well?"

"As if I slept on a cloud."  
In reality, he had slept only a pair of hours, and the mattress was harder than usual, but the joy in his heart couldn't abandon him from the night just passed, it seemed as if he had lain with a hundred men all together, a frivolous and exhilarating feeling.  
Ginger went back to reading the newspaper, thankful that what had happened the night before hadn't affected Miles' mood. The man was humming while making tea, and Ginger volunteered to help him set the table.

"Leave it alone, dear, today I feel particularly helpful."

"You're not a maid, Miles."

"Would you like me to be?"  
Ginger looked at him in amazement, he was now accustomed to certain Miles' provocations, but they had never been explicitly addressed to him and to what he desired.

"I would rather not."  
But Miles wasn't too sorry.

"Too bad, I would've liked to try for once."

"About being a maid?"

"Well, not really a maid, just try to make you happy like--" _you did with me_ , he would want to finish, yet Miles' mouth said something else, "as a thank you more in keeping with what you did."  
Ginger frowned at him, it was clear that he was trying to understand what was blending in the other man's head, how sweet.

"Just be yourself, please, the good and too shiny chap I know."  
And, after taking two cups, he sat down again, waiting to be reached; Miles turned to look at him, Ginger turned his back on him, it was ideal for a small attack: with great ease, Miles took the kettle and, while going to his chair, he lowered himself to kiss quickly Ginger's cheek.

"There," he said triumphantly, looking how the other man's face became red, "Now we can start our lovely morning."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! ^^ see you soon!
> 
> If you want to scream with me, you can find me on [ **Tumblr** ](https://kira-7.tumblr.com) or [ **Twitter** ](https://mobile.twitter.com/kira7_13) 😄


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